Alexander the Great was a Macedonian ruler and general of the 4th century BC who conquered a large area of the ancient world, including Egypt and Persia. By Pompey’s time there had been a long tradition of ambitious men associating themselves with Alexander, often by likening statues of themselves to the Hellenistic general. Such artistic associations, however, were looked on with distaste by the more traditionalist Republicans, who disapproved of the implications suggested by portraying oneself as a mighty king.